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Electrify America initially supporting only 50 kW CHAdeMO

Update: These chargers will eventually run CHAdeMO at 100 kW in the future (see below).

Easily overlooked in yesterday’s Electrify America announcement of new DC chargers is that CHAdeMO will only be supported at 50 kW (125A) while CCS is supported at 150 kW or 350 kW (350A or more).

The release states that:

All charging stations will offer a CHAdeMO1 (50kW) connector, plus additional dual-handle chargers with CCS1 (50 to 150kW or 350 kW) connectors, ensuring that all fast charging capable cars will be able to use the Electrify America stations.

The images of the charger designs from the four suppliers released by Electrify America yesterday all illustrate CHAdeMO cables with a 50 kW label.

The new ABB charger appears to be based on their Terra HP product which normally supports 100 kW (200A) CHAdeMO, according to ABB’s online marketing materials. The CHAdeMO cable on the regular Terra HP is not liquid-cooled.

Update:

According to Electrify America spokesman Mike Moran, “The CHAdeMO connectors are certified at 100 kW at 200 amps, however we have de-rated those connectors to 50 kW. The CHAdeMO connectors will stay de-rated until testing with all vehicles and adaptors are successfully completed. The intent is to offer 100kW for electric vehicles in the future.”

“Since the de-rating is done by software, we will enable the 100 kW CHAdeMO connectors at new and existing chargers after sufficient testing”, he said.

The press release also leaves it unclear what the typical mix of CHAdeMO to CCS charging will be at a typical location but does imply that at least one CHAdeMO charger will be installed.

The CHAdeMO Association published updated specifications last year supporting 200 kW charging power (400A at 500V) with liquid-cooled cables and is due to publish support for up to 1,000V later this year.

When recently asked about the status of CHAdeMO support on ChargePoint’s forthcoming Express Plus DC charger product recently, ChargePoint spokesman Darryll Harrison said “CHAdeMO has not yet confirmed the new max level of their cooled cable and connector development hasn’t started yet. When their max is available, our platform will be able to support it.”

The plans submitted to California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency for the first 2.5 year investment cycle say that Electrify America will:

Incorporate anticipated changes in the ZEV industry by ‘future‐proofing’ stations to maximize their usefulness in the medium‐to‐long term: Investment will include the latest technology (from L2s up to 320 kW DC fast charging) and operate across standards (CCS and CHAdeMO) to maximize access and help ensure future compatibility in a rapidly evolving industry.

In addition, the plans submitted to California say:

The ZEV infrastructure is intended for, and compatible with ZEV technologies that are not limited to ones supported by VW group brands. Instead, the goal is to promote universal access to the extent possible. In particular, multiple technologies (L2, DCFC) and multiple non‐proprietary connectors and charging protocols (e.g., CHAdeMO, CCS) will be offered to maximize public access to Electrify America’s charging infrastructure.

Electrify America will be presenting their first annual progress report at CARB’s public board meeting on April 27 in Sacramento.